Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[SkeptInq@aol.com]

 "Powers of the Paranormal": Another FOX TV Outrage

 By Joe Nickell

 May 12, 2000

 Those of us who thought the FOX television network had nowhere to go but up
after airing their pseudodocumentary "Signs from God" (reviewed in the
November/December 1999 Skeptical Inquirer) should have been more, well,
skeptical. The May 11, 2000, program "Powers of the Paranormal: Live on
Stage!" reached even lower standards of responsibility by dispensing with
even token skepticism.

 Absent were any skeptical voices, or any other vestige of critical thinking,
other than a fig leaf of a disclaimer to hide their naked hucksterism: "The
following program deals with a controversial subject. The theories expressed
are not the only possible interpretation.  The viewer is invited to make a
judgement based on all available information." They certainly got that right,
but unsuspecting viewers might not realize just how likely the other possible
interpretations are.

 Let me mention a few examples.  When "Perceptionist" and "Human Lie
Detector" Joel Bauer correctly determined which of four people had produced
each of as many drawings, might he have used one of the many methods employed
by "mentalists" (stage magicians who perform mind-reading tricks)? Or when
he-and later "celebrated paranormalist" Uri Geller-divined and reproduced a
volunteer's supposedly secret sketch, might they have used one of the
subterfuges readily available from conjuring texts and magic supply houses?

 Again, when "hypnotherapist" Michele Gauzy and "master hypnotist" Tom Silver
plied their alleged entrancing powers-Gauzy to "regress" two volunteers to
their "past lives" and Silver to help relieve another's fear of spiders-might
there have been more than meets the eye? Viewers were told in a very quick
aside that the mesmerists had previously hypnotized the subjects. Might they
have utilized the old stage hypnotist's technique of beginning with several
volunteers, then selecting only those who exhibited strong propensities for
compliance and fantasy production?

 For example, when Gauzy asked the "regressed" subjects to describe their
supposedly centuries-old dress and surroundings, and to relate their mode of
death, how were their responses any different than if they were merely
invited to imagine them? And when Tom Silver performed the old "rigid body"
stunt (in which "hypnotized" subjects are placed horizontally with supports
only at their shoulders and feet, and someone stands on their unsupported
midriffs) why should we be more impressed than when it is done by children as
an age-old parlor trick? (For a discussion, see Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin
, Prometheus Books, 1991, p. 46).

 Yet again, when Jeff and Tessa Evanson performed the spiritualistic
"table-tipping" phenomenon, why did they select volunteers who had raised
their hands when asked if they had successfully used a Ouija board, which
likewise relies on movements due to the ideomotor effect (i.e., unconscious
muscular activity)? Could it be they preferred subjects who would be likely
to help things along?  And when Jeff caused the table to seemingly adhere to
his hand and be lifted off the stage, might he have been performing that feat
the way it has been done by countless magicians and phony spiritualists for
many generations?

 Furthermore, why should we be impressed with Bill Burns' "Séance of the
Century"? After some standard spirit-possession twitches, Burns delivered the
monologues allegedly from Marilyn Monroe and Andy Kaufman that were
convincing to the actress's first husband and two of the comedian's friends.
But weren't those sitters expecting to validate the endearing messages?

 Then there was Joe McMoneagle, a former member of the US government's failed
psychic spying project. Unlike some of the other performers-whose feats went
suspiciously well, McMoneagle appears to actually rely on paranormal ability.
Unfortunately, his remote viewing experiment cast doubt on his powers,
although the program's host and a volunteer dispatched to the site McMoneagle
was to clairvoyantly view, were as helpful as possible in converting his
failed impressions into successes.

 The "sculpture" he saw coming out of the "water" scarely matched the
modernesque restaurant at Los Angeles International Airport, unless one
applies a generous helping of "retrofitting" (after-the-fact interpretation).
 Of course there was, as McMoneagle envisioned, a "well-defined concrete
edge," but then where in the greater L.A. area would that not be found? (In
this case a sidewalk filled the bill.)

 Produced by Jeff Margolis Productions, this special was an affront to
science and rationality. Can FOX sink any lower in its credulous, snake-oil
approach to the paranormal? Unfortunately, I suppose, we'll have to stay
tuned and see.

 Joe Nickell, formerly "Janus the Magician" and "Mendell the Mentalist," is
CSICOP's Senior Research Fellow.

 NOTE:

 Those who would like to contact FOX Television to comment on "Powers of the
Paranormal," can e-mail FOX at askfox@foxinc.com or write to:

 "Powers of the Paranormal"
 Attn: FBC SPECIALS
 Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900
 Attn: Bldg. 100, Room 4420